In our today’s article we are going to learn which of these multi-processor technologies provides maximum performance gain compared with a single graphics accelerator and what obstacles the users may face in either case.

Metro 2033: The Last Refuge

We would commend both multi-GPU technologies in Metro 2033: The Last Refuge (their scalability amounts to about 70%) if the bottom speeds were not so low. We cannot achieve a bottom speed of 20 fps on the Radeon HD 6970 CrossFireX or on the GeForce GTX 570 SLI here.

Just Cause 2

The graphics solutions from AMD and Nvidia deliver the same speed in single-GPU mode and offer the same scalability of the multi-GPU configurations. We must note that this game really calls for a multi-GPU subsystem if you want to play it at a high resolution with FSAA.

Aliens vs. Predator (2010)

Like in the previous game, the solutions from AMD and Nvidia are equals but both multi-GPU technologies are more effective than in Just Cause 2, boasting a performance increase up to 100% over the single card.

Lost Planet 2

As opposed to the two previous games, Lost Planet 2 is not so enthusiastic about the multi-GPU technologies. The performance growth varies from 55% to 77%. We can note that CrossFireX is less effective than SLI and that the Nvidia solutions are superior to the AMD ones in this game both in single-GPU and multi-GPU modes.

StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty

Multi-GPU technologies can only make sense in StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty if that’s Nvidia SLI and if you are going to use FSAA. Despite the unimpressive scalability over the single card, the GeForce GTX 570 tandem feels better in this test than the Radeon HD 6970 CrossFireX. The latter configuration gets awfully slow when we turn on FSAA.